Global organizations are constantly looking to employ different and superior strategies for hiring talent. Innovation in recruitment like using technology provides companies a competitive advantage in the market. In the past few years, the use of social media like LinkedIn has been one of such innovations and it helps companies save time and cost. The traditional method of paper advertising and asking candidates to appear with hard copies of CVs has been replaced with LinkedIn ads and online interviews.

However, we are standing on the threshold of yet another breakthrough in technology which is Metaverse. It offers innovative ways to recruit talent but, several organizations are hesitant to embrace it due to the lack of confidence in its future effect. Before moving on to discussing recruitment in Metaverse, let’s first discuss what Metaverse is.

The term “metaverse" refers to a collective virtual shared space. It is typically experienced in the form of a digital network of user-generated and user-controlled virtual environments.  This term became popular when Mark Zuckerberg decided to rename Facebook as ‘Meta’. It also shows the importance of planning digital interaction for the future.

Although it was conceived only as a gaming platform just like GTA or Farmville, but now grand companies are taking it seriously. A few companies might take it as frightening and some think it is exhilarating. However, other companies have begun to take it as an opportunity to engage with clients, employees, and customers.

Metaverse incorporates the use of AR (augmented reality) and VR (virtual reality) along with spatial sound. This innovation provides employees an immersive experience. The workspaces are going to be completely transformed. The employees’ holograms and avatars are going to be interacting instead of real human beings.  An employee can shift his workplace to anywhere and stay connected with colleagues. These are the following areas that will undergo immense transformation.

Metaverse will allow you to shape your own environment around you. Just like in traditional workplaces you listen to music to stay focused, in Metaverse you can completely transform your surroundings. You’ll have the option to change your surroundings according to your preferences. It doesn’t matter whether you want to work on a creative project or join a team for brainstorming. The digital elements will help you customize your surroundings, according to the requirement of the task.

The greatest benefit of VR and AR is the ability to be together anytime and anywhere with your team. It is a game-changer for team collaborations and meetings. The screen meetings cause great fatigue. According to a study conducted by Jeremy N. Bailenson of Stanford University, lack of access to body language and other non-verbal cues along with reduced mobility play a major factor in video call fatigue. The Metaverse features will not only help you connect with your team but also it will contribute to overall collaboration.  The whole team meeting with Metaverse will lead to more creativity.

Remote work became a norm after the pandemic and it still continues.  This indicates that remote work or a hybrid model is going to stay. However, Metaverse offers comfort in working remotely as you don’t have to stick with just one system all the time.  The employee will have his virtual screens and keyboards and he can customize them in any way he wishes. There will be no physical weight to carry when you have virtual screens and boards. If you feel disturbed in the room, you can take your setup to your favorite park and continue working effortlessly.

Learning and development will become more than easy with Metaverse as the focus will shift from telling to showing. The best learning happens when we not only listen but also visualize in multidimensions. The experts on the topic will also be available virtually from anywhere to remove any misunderstanding from the learners. This way the learners will get the chance to feel the actual presence of expert instructors in their respective fields.

In the context of recruitment, the metaverse could potentially be used as a platform for virtual job fairs or networking events, allowing job seekers and employers to connect and interact in a digital space. It could also potentially be used for virtual job interviews, allowing employers to evaluate candidates in a more immersive and interactive environment.

Few big-profile companies have started recruitment in Metaverse to interview candidates.  They also give them the possibility to meet people within the organization. Moreover, it provides the candidates the knowledge about culture, values, and opportunities they can get by virtual reality experience. Virtuality enables them to reach a big and wider audience. It transforms recruiting into a more accessible and easy way to find talent from different locations.

Some examples of such a high-profile company are like MGM.  It is using virtual reality to facilitate immersive onboarding processes for job seekers. Another one is Globant which is getting into a 360° onboarding with virtual reality to welcome new hires.  Moreover, Accenture got 60,000 Oculus (VR headsets) for recruitment in Metaverse.

According to Martin Migoya, CEO of Globant, he said in his video call with CNBC, “When you’re interviewing [people] on a screen, you don’t know a lot of things about them. But when you have the possibility to express many new things like you can express with your avatar in the metaverse, I think there will be a lot of opportunities to really understand people much better than before.”

Tech companies have already launched software to execute virtual meetings like Mesh for MS Teams enhances 2D conventional videos with Virtual 3D rooms. This feature enables people to experience corporate office Metaverse with its virtual rooms during interviews and the whole building. Through these initial versions, you can have interviews based on avatars, whereas, in the next stage of development, the real faces can also be used as holograms. Moreover, Meta has also come up with Horizon Workrooms as a virtual collaboration platform through Oculus Quest headsets.

The same idea can also be extended to let candidates experience assessment centers, career fairs, and Hackathons in Metaverse. This way the candidates will have real-time interaction in a virtual world.  For instance, Samsung has conducted a career fair through the Gather Town platform in Metaverse.  In this fair, the candidates interacted with the HRs and other hiring managers using avatars.

The Metaverse job descriptions will help the candidates experience how the job exactly looks like because the description will be based on a virtual walk-through of the actual place where the employee has to work. Similarly, the whole 2d career sites of today will convert to a metaverse of career sites in upcoming years helping the candidates ‘experience’ the job description rather than just reading it. It will provide the companies an opportunity to enhance their brand as well.

Gen Z and millennials are going to occupy the workspaces by 75% and therefore it is essential to attract top talent. We know that most Gen Z spend time with gadgets, and the virtual environment will attract them. Therefore, Metaverse recruitment will be ideal for hiring the most talented candidates.

Web innovation is becoming trendy and employers waiting on the sideline for long will be left behind. The Metaverse offers an immersive way of communication among people and employees who are working away from each other.

The importance of involving technology for hybrid workers is undeniable in every aspect ranging from talent acquisition to onboarding, training sessions, collaborations, meetings, marketing, and much more.

However, there are still the following roadblocks that may slow down the progress and adoption of the technology in workplaces and human capital management:

Nevertheless, the leaders forecast that Metaverse is the future of technology related to HCM and must be embraced. The recruitment departments should create a strategic plan because the benefits for all aspects of HR are too essential to let the roadblocks come in the way.

Many brands are already making their way to Metaverse like Gucci and Nike. It is to take inspiration from them and catch the trend early to improve your employer brand and transform your workplace. These technological advancements are going to completely redefine the context of every organization and shape how it will function and create value for a long time to come. Those who stayed behind due to uncertainty will find themselves sooner or later operating in the world defined by others.

The Metaverse is going to provide an immersive experience to the new candidates where they will experience the virtual world of their new workplace. The companies will have an opportunity to demonstrate their work culture to the candidates and help your recruiting team to improve and attract the talent pool of the candidates through recruitment in Metaverse.